Meter



y 1935- 11A, YOUNG v 2,000,731

METER Filed Aug. 25, 1932 2 Sh'ee'ts-Sheet 1 WITNESS s; w Y INVENTOR Douglass A-J oung.

' ATToNEY v May 7, 1935. D. ASYOUNG 2,000,131

I METER Filed Aug; 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: I INVENTOR 4% Dog/9205s A. Vol/77g.

BY \7 9M AT To EY Patented May 7, 19 35 UNITED STATES ,PATENTI JOFFICE-f' 'METER.

Douglass A. Young, East-Orange, N. J., assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania v Application August 25, 193.2,Sciie1 No. 630,341 3 Claims (01. 250-415) My invention relates to'meter testing appainvention toprovide a compact test meter ,0! ratus and it has particular relation to portable the type incorporating a photo-sensitive element, meter testing apparatus of the type in which the an amplifying unit for the photo-sensitive elestroboscopic principle is applied for testing purment and an indicating element to be energized h 6 poses.- 7 from the output of the amplifying element, *6 Portable meter testing apparatus constructed wherein the detecting element and its appurtene according to the teachings of the prior art, in ances are energized uniformly from a. power generahcomprises an element to be rotated in supply unit of tractable and compact structure response to the application of power and so in which the ordinary large and heavy filtering 10 disposed as to periodically interrupt'a beam of inductors are eliminated. I a

light projected from-a source to a photo-sensi- -In accoordance with my invention,,I provide tive device. The photo-sensitive device is so a power supply unit for the test meter, detector disposed as to receive the beam of light after it and amplifierwhich comprises a plurality of has" been interrupted by the movable element. rectifiers coupled to a plurality 50f capacitors in V The Output the photo-sensitive device is am such .manner that-they charge. the capacitors =16 p fi nd he Output of the amplifie i fed The indicating element of the test meter and its into a suitableluminous device, such as a glow appurtenances are fed fromthe capacitors. The lamp, the radiations from which areprojected capacitors are of such magnitude that the on the meter to be tested. v I s P energywhichfis stored in them by charging is g 20 When the ame S01E08 D fipp large compared to theenergyconsumed by the D the t in m r and t0 'l i v to be tested, load. However, since in the present case the the movable elements of the meter, if the meter energy ns ed by the glow lamp, the ampliunder test is accurately adjusted to correspond fier and the photolsensitiye device is m to t t t u d m ve i s smtively small, the capacitors need not be of large Consequently, the movable element of the meter magnitude and consequently the whole unitmay 25 under test when illuminated by the sourcerenerbe t, 5 V siz d in c rdance wi h he movemen f: the The novel features that I consider. charactermovable element of the test meter should appear i tic of n nti ar set iorth withparticuto beat larity in the appendid claims; The invention .30 w The amplifier in the above discussedsystem, t however, both as to its organization and 7 together h the Photo-Sensitive device n h' its method of operation, together with additional glow-lamp are generally energized from an alterobjects' and advantages thereof 111i t beam. natin'g' current power source which issuit'ably derstobd from t f ll wing description of a, e e and e we' Withthe specific embodiment when read in connection .35 teachingsof the prior art, the'filtering system with the'accompanying drawings,yin which;

comprises inductors and capacitors and is gen- Figure 113 a perspective w Showing th emu? u y that h nit assembled w t essential elements of a watthour meter conthe other elements of the apparatus, thecomstmcted according to teachings, my bined unit excessively large; vntiom and v 40 accordingly an Object of my invention Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing thecir- P e Small and compact stmppmpic cuits and the essential elementsassociatedwith test meter" the circuit of the meter s o in 1 Another objectof my invention is to provide a v t I h dm ins involves' 1 powersupply system for a portable stroboscopic The apparatus Shown m t e w g 5 test meter such that the meter includingjthe v power supply unit shall be Compact. the copendmg application Ser al No. 522,303,

FA further object of myinvention is to provide fi March 193,1 to.wimam p s i for a test meter a small unit for uniformly and myself, n Com-FY1535 container supplying power to the detecting, m lifying which the elements of the test system are dis- -many ofithe elements of the meter shown in 145 v and indicating elements of the meter. a. posed. In F t Walls 3 of container 50 'An' incidentalobiectof my invention is to proare broken y to i e.the description of vide a unit for uniformly supplying power of the the system. I type wherein theordinary inductorsoi a filter' 'The container l is sub-dividedinto two secare i at d. tions 5 and'i, the elements of the meter being 5 ,jMore. concisely, stated, it, is an object olf m y dispqsed in one section 5,; while the element lof I,

of rectifiers 4 I.

the power supply unit and the amplifier are disposed in the other section 1.

The meter elements are, in general, similar to the elements of an ordinary watthour meter and comprise an electro-magnetic driving unit 9 which is suitably energized from a power source (not shown) connected thereto through a plurality of external contacts 'I I. A disk i3 of suitable non-magnetic material is rotatably supported adjacent to the driving element ii and is rotated when the driving element is energized.-

The disk I8 is equipped with peripherally out teeth l5 to be utilized in testing, as shall be explained hereinafter, and its speed of rotation is controlled by an adjustable magnetic brake H, the position of which may, if desired, be indicated on a meter l8 resiliently coupled to the brake. Brakes of the general type of member H, i. e. a magnet between the poles of which a conducting disk like i3 moves are well known in the meter art; the eddy currents induced by movement of the disk relative to the magnetflux inducing eddy currents which tend to damp such movement. The brake I? is moved in a radial direction relative to the disk i3 by rotating the knurled knob. 16. The magnitude of this damping or braking action and, therefore, thespeed of rotation of the element l3 of the standard meter is thus adjusted for a given load on the electricalcircuit it is measuring.

A beam of light is projected from a source I!) disposed in the section I of the container 1,

wherein the amplifying and rectifying elements are located, and is collimated by a lens 2i disposed in the region of the container which separates the'two'compartments 5 and -T. V The beam is deflected at right angles by a totally reflecting prism 23 and thus projected in such manner as to be interrupted by the teeth of the rotating element l3. A grid plate 20 is disposed above thedisc J3 and adjacent to the region of the plate where the rays from the source t9 strike it. The plate is equipped with equally spaced rectangular slots (not shown) that correspondto the teeth l5 of the disc l3. When the disc i3 is moved relative to the plate 20 the plate cooperates with the disc to. provide the necessary shutter effect.

rent (not shown) and the output windings 39 of which are connected to energize a plurality A plurality of capacitors 43 and 44, of suitable magnitude are connected in series with the rectifiers 4! in such manner as tobe charged when the rectifiers are energized. The anode 45 of the photo-sensitive device 2? is connected to positive plate 4? of the capacitor 43 that is so disposedas to be maintained at the most positive potential and the cathode 25 'is connected to the control electrode 49 of the electric discharge device 29, that serves as an amplifier. The control electrode 49 is biased through a resistor 5;? of suitable magnitude, one-terminal of which is connected to the consuch a device.

trol electrode 49 while the other terminal is connected to the negative plate 53 of the least positive capacitor 44. The cathode 55 of the amplifying device 29 is connected to an intermediate terminal 5? of the capacitor network, while the anode 56 is connected to the positive plate 41 of the capacitor 43 through the glow lamp 3! The whole system is thus provided with suitable potentials and suitable power from the capacitor system.

It is to be noted that, while in the preferred practice of my invention a high vacuum electric discharge device 29 is utilized for amplifying purposes, my invention is not to be restricted to Where desirable gas-filled electric discharge devices or any suitable electric discharge devices of other types may be utilized. In particular, it should be noted that, in certain modifications of my invention, the high vacuum device 29 and the glow lamp 3! may be replaced by a single glow device preferably a grid con-.

trolled gas filled device (such as a grid glow tube), the glow between the. anode and the oathode of which can be. utilized for stroboscopic comparison purposes. A system in which such a device is utilized, is an equivalent that lies within the scope of my'invention.

Theoperation of my system is apparent from the above description of the system. The photosensitive device 21 is energized in accordance with the pulsations which it, receives through the teeth ,i 5 of themovable element l3 of the test meter. The current impulses thus generated in the photo-sensitive device 2'! are amplilied by the electric discharge device 29. The amplified current is fed through the glow device '3! which emits luminous radiations in accord-. ance with the impulses received by the photosensitive device 27. The energy required for energizing the electric, discharge device, the photo-sensitive device and the glow lamp is supplied from the capacitors 43 and 44 which are,

in turn, energized through the rectifiers 4|. The energy required by the system, is comparatively small and consequently capacitors 43 and 44 of comparatively small magnitude utilized in the system.

For the purpose of, the present explanation, the capacitors 43 and 44 may be regarded as sources of potential. As the illumination immay be pinging on the. photo-sensitive device 21 isvaried current pulses are transmitted through the resistor 5! under the electromotive force provided by the capacitors 43 and 44. Corresponding potential pulses are, therefore, impressed between the terminals of the resistor'5l and the potential impressed between control electrode 49 and the cathode 55 of the electric discharge device 29 is correspondingly varied. In consequence of the variations of the. control potential impressed on the device 29, the plate current transmitted by the device under the, electromotive iorce provided by the capacitor 43. is varied and the current transmitted by thelamp 3! and its illumination is correspondingly varied. The periodicity of the flashes of the lamp 3!,

therefore, corresponds to the periodicity of the ment l3 of the "standard meter rotates at the the error in meter 33 in its uncalibrated con dition.

' In a system actually constructed according to the teachings of my invention, H5 volts, cycle alternating current is supplied to the input windings 3'I-of the transformer 35, which is of the single winding type. The photo-sensitive device 21 is of the type ordinarily utilized in talkingmotion picture apparatus and in similar equipment and is designated commercially as an SE50 or an SKBO photo ,cell. The amplifier tube is largely similar to the radiotron UX226 and is often commercially designated as an RJ526 tube. The rectifiers I are similar to UX28I radiotrons, the capacitors 43 and 44 have a migntude of one microia'rad each and there? sistor 5! in the control circuit of the RJ526 is of the order of megohms.

Although I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, Iam fully aware that many modifications thereof are possible. My invention therefore,.'is not to be reg stricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and the spirit of the appended claims;

I claim as my invention: a 7 1. In combination, a network comprising a plurality of capacitors and assymmetric conducting means connected in series, an alternating current source, means for coupling ,saidsource" to said networks to charge, said capacitors, an electric discharge device having a control electrode and a plurality or principal electrodes 'and the junction point of said capacitors and means for varying the potentials impressed between said control electrode and said principal electrodes, said means including means responsive to external physical disturbances and means for connecting said responsive means'between said control electrode and a junction point of one of said capacitors and said asymmetric conducting means. I

2. In combination a network comprising a plurality of capacitors and asymmetric conduct ing means connected in series, an alternating current source, means for coupling said source to said networks to charge said capacitors, an electric discharge device having a control elec- "trode and a plurality of principal electrodes,

means for connecting said principal electrodes" between thejunction point of saidasymmetric' conducting means and ,one ,of said capacitors and the junction point of said capacitors, means for connecting said control electrode to the junction point'of said asymmetric conducting means and another of said capacitors, and means for f varying the potentials impressed between said control electrode and said principal electrodes,

tosaid networks tocharge'said capacitors, an-

electric discharge device having a control electrode and a plurality of principal electrodes,

means including a glow discharge device for connecting said principal electrodes between the junction'point of said asymmetric conducting means and one of said capacitors and thejunc tion point of said capacitors, and means for s varying the potentials impressed between said control electrode and said principal electrodes,

said means including means responsive to an external physical disturbance and means for connecting" said responsive means between said control electrode. and a junction point of one of said capacitors and said asymmetric conduct- V ing means. 7 7

DOUGLASS A. YOUNG. 

